Shaking heads and handshakes

Not only does the country witness effigy burnings and street protests over religious issues and race divisiveness, we now have proven that even a handshake can become our politicians’ fodder.

Unbelievable! In this 21st century, a nation that boasts of earning praises from the USA is making its political campaigns – going over-drive, over a lady for not shaking hands with the male rakyat.

Can anyone out there please explain what is exactly happening to our political goons? Do they not understand what campaigning is all about? Or are they so bankrupt of social decency, values and respect that they are prepared to drum anything and everything into a political strategy?

Or are they telling all and sundry that our Malaysian rakyat at Tenang are plain stupid and can be influenced over a handshake matter?

In the first place, not shaking hands is not even an issue. It is a prerogative that is accorded to women – not just in Malaysia but the world over; not just now but over centuries of human history.

But in Malaysia it becomes an opportunity to exploit. And why are our brothers and sisters in Tenang, especially the women folk not crying foul in the first place?

Where is our dignity? Where are all the decades of Rukun Negara mantras preached, believed in and vouched it is being practised?

And why are heads not rolling at such base, snide remarks blared on political platforms? 

Or have we reached a point of no return in our collective national moral fibre as we may have fallen to the lowest level of yet another “who cares” reality.

Indeed, the caring and concerned, the decent and respectable citizens and observers are shaking their heads in disbelief over the handshake attack and belittling antics from our political frontiers.

In a civilised nation, that would have been the instant demise of a politician. But here, he gets more popular and the voters will shamelessly proclaim, “ini kecil punya hal la brader”.

Malaysians should be ashamed of themselves.